


If You Ever Go

by vsilver



Category: Transformers: Prime, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015)
Genre: Character Death, Comfort, Developing Relationship, M/M, Relationship Examination, not permanent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 12:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11737410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vsilver/pseuds/vsilver
Summary: Motormaster loses his patience with the stunticons and lashes out at them. Dragstrip has mixed feeling when he finds out what Wildbreak did to save his life.





	If You Ever Go

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to explore their relationships and rolled with things. Sorry if some of the TF terms aren't used well ^^u

The sun was blaring into his optics. Dragstrip woke up, realizing he had been knocked out earlier. He had been dragged under a bridge, besides him a small pile of supplies. He sat up, realizing it was a dried up dam with graffiti and old, trashed up tires littered across the cracked cement. Dandelions and smaller flowers sprouted from these cracks, glimmering in pink. 

He looked down at his injured leg, tied up in bandages and patched up in adhesive tape where an energon line had been blasted open in his leg. Touching at it, he hissed at the wave of pain.

Just above the sound of a vehicle rolling had him scoot further from the sunlight, trying to hide his frame. He had no recollection of the night before or what exactly gave him the injury. All he remembered was telling Wildbreak to speed up and drew to a blank after that. 

A reflection in a puddle gave him a glimpse of his marred paint job. Scratches and chipped pain everywhere. 

Footsteps rolled about him, followed by Slashmark’s annoyed tone as he grumbled to himself. In his arms was a crate. Dragstrip watched him nervously as the white bot approached him as if this was an ordinary thing.

“What’s the matter? Don’t tell me your voice box got shot off too.” He sat the crate down, him on it. “You don’t remember anything?”

“W-what’s going on? Where in scrap are we?” Dragstrip couldn’t help the static in his voice. He did not like the concerned look Slashmark flashed. It was difficult to rouse concern from him.

“Motormaster was on a punishment frenzy yesterday. Though he does it for sport, he ended up going farther than he intended. I’m not sure of the details in between when you and dear Wildbreak sped off, but the end result was you blown to pieces.”

“WHAT?” That clearly frightened Dragstrip. He tried to sit up but winced in pain. “What do you mean to pieces?!”

“Calm down, obviously not lethal if you’re still shouting. Afterwards we hauled you away to patch you up. Wildbreak did a lot to put you back together.”

Dragstrip reached out an arm to the bot, silently pleading for help. Slashmark looked at the smaller bot for a few seconds. He wondered what it was that drove Wildbreak back to face someone like Motormaster on his own. Smiling, he helped the bot up into his arms and led him to take a seat on the crate.

“So where is he?” A cube of energon was handed to him.

“Dragstrip,” Slashmark’s tone went serious. He held onto the yellow bot’s shoulders giving him an intense look. “Do you think Wildbreak as your comrade?”

“What the slag are you talking about?”

“Answer the question.”

“I mean, we’re assigned to be partners so-”

“Answer the question!” growled Slashmark tightening his hold on the bot. Dragstrip panicked. “Y-yes! Yes! Now let go of me!”

He harshly pulled away from the bigger bot. He did not like what was going on. Something felt terribly wrong. He felt his spark, it churned and stirred inside him something painful. 

“Wildbreak did something he shouldn’t have. Ignoring standing up to Motormaster, defecting from the group, and aiding you… there’s something far more serious he has done. I tried talking him out of it, I really did Dragstrip.”

Slashmark looked to be recalling a painful memory as he avoided Dragstrip’s gaze, a set of claws clutching over his own chassis. He closed his optics tightly.

“Where’s Wildbreak?”

Dragstrip would not count himself as a very compassionate bot. Or was he sincere, or caring or the least bit sympathetic. Wildbreak was all those things. Dragstrip had taught himself something special compared to the klutzy bot. Even with all the mess ups and failures they had together, not once would Wildbreak complain or blame Dragstrip. The yellow bot didn’t like that. He hated that his companion never blamed him for anything and treated their acquaintanceship as a friendship. 

“He’s alive,” Slashmark replied breaking the train of thought. Dragstrip would never admit the relief that washed over his frame. His shoulders relaxed as he listened to the rest of the story. “I don’t know anything further.”

“Slashmark, from bot to bot, don’t you lie to me.”

“Honest! I’m here to check up on your progress. Those things over there are monitoring your vitals,” he gestured with his helm to the small devices sitting besides the spot Dragstrip had laid for the night. “You were opened up.”

“M-my spark…”

“A lot of your innermost energon was spilled.”

“Oh Primus,” whimpered Dragstrip. His spark felt like it was twisting in him again, another wave of pain. He felt his chassis, the healing scars after being blasted at point blank. His optics looked around the ground wildly feeling the panic rise in him.

“Dragstrip, the kid did so much for you like you wouldn’t believe.”

His optics stung, holding back tears. Dragstrip couldn’t remember the last time he felt this emotional. His voice was barely above a whisper, laced with desperation as the yellow bot looked up to Slashmark. “What did he do?”

And then.

And then…

Slashmark gestured from his spark to Dragstrip’s, a single claw being dragged down the battered up chassis. 

“Wildbreak donated his innermost energon.”

\---

Chaos had interrupted at midnight. Heatseeker and Slashmark remembered combining and being able to evade the brunt of Motormaster’s anger. They hid down a dam as they heard the other two racing down the highway, outrunning the roaring semi-wheeler. 

In retrospect Heatseeker didn’t think Motormaster meant to cause as much harm as he did. He did not think the chase would turn deadly. 

Too far away to witness anything, the static screeching in his processor following a loud round of blasts pierced his head. What followed were the crying roars of a desperate blue bot as he drove back to their direction.

Dragstrip had been blown to pieces, or more specifically his chassis with the rest of his frame laced with intense damage. At one point during all the activity the Autobots showed up. That’s when Slashmark and Heatseeker returned to investigate what had happened. 

Wildbreak had called the Autobots somehow. It was still unclear, but it had something to do with his sire having connections with the Autobot team on earth. The blue bot was in full autopilot when they arrived to the unsightly scene. 

Dragstrip was on the desert ground crying, whimpering and begging for his life. Heatseeker found it difficult to watch, feeling sick to see a bot he’d known for so long struggling and writhing in pain. He hid behind Slashmark, afraid of whatever Wildbreak was doing.

“Wildbreak, there’s no saving him.” Slashmark got on one knee, grabbing on Wildbreak’s shoulders to pull him away. His blue arms moved rapidly as the bot muttered quickly to himself. But he did not listen. Instead he continued reconnecting Dragstrip’s internals and salving energon lines. The yellow bot under his careful hands weeped, asking Wildbreak what was going on as the light in his optics slowly died. 

“Wildbreak!” yelled the white bot. “Don’t let him die painfully! This is unbearable!”

Not a word uttered out of the orange mouth.

Heatseeker felt the panic in his partner, not knowing what to do. He’d always imagined the comfort of them all perishing together, not an agonizing and confusing offline. An engine drove up behind them and that’s when the most jaw dropping, stunning racer bot with sleek and shiny red paint stepped in. He carried a suitcase along with a look so stern and cold, it would make Heatseeker shiver. It was clear to him that this was not the first time Wildbreak has dealt with this. 

This mystery bot was a doctor, and a damn good one. His hands worked even quicker than Wildbreak’s. Machines were pulled from the case, tools handed out, and anesthesia administered. His voice was void of emotions as he looked at Heatseeker straight in the optic. 

“You, hold his legs down.” No time was wasted as he did as Knock Out ordered.

During the operation Wildbreak only showed a shred of his old self twice.

The first occasion when he promised Dragstrip not to be scared. The second when the ritual of taking some of Wildbreak’s innermost energon and adding it to the few Dragstrip had was taking place. The blue bot cried, and Heatseeker almost wished he could read Wildbreak’s processor that very moment. 

Dragstrip offlined.

A powerful, green shock from Slashmark’s hands onlined the fixed spark chamber. 

Knock Out was Wildbreak’s sire, and alerted them that Motormaster had escaped Bumblebee’s team. He could not help his son further but advised hiding the recovering body and Wildbreak to seek asylum. 

It was agreed that the rest of them would still feign being on Motormaster’s side. Heatseeker was reluctant at first, not really knowing much outside the large Decepticon’s leadership. They’d help Bumblebee and his team to capture Motormaster when the opportunity rose. Maybe they’ll never form Menasor ever again, but that was fine by Slashmark. What happened to Dragstrip could’ve easily happened to the both of them. 

It wasn’t a good thought, but the grey bot was almost thankful this ordeal happened to Dragstrip. Only he had the luxury and helpful Wildbreak to be nursed to back to health. 

Parked besides Motormaster the morning after, he commed Slashmark the coast was clear, Wildbreak was free to move for now.

\---

Dragstrip finished eating three whole cubes of energon when Slashmark presented him with more. Through a stuffed mouth the yellow bot tried making conversation to break the awkward silence. 

“So, did dying look painful?”

Slashmark scoffed. “You’re one to ask. I imagine if my spark chamber was blown open the paint alone would drive me to death’s doorstep even quicker.”

Dragstrip wanted to talk back, say something sarcastic or mildly profane. He couldn’t. Something had happened between the stunticons that Dragstrip will probably never remember experiencing but knew had tightened the unspoken mindfulness they had for one another. Care was too innocent a word. 

“Does having Wildbreak’s energon in me let him read my mind or something?”

“You don’t know anything about inner most energon do you?”

“Hey most bots don’t know how all their inner workings work, gimme a break.”

Slashmark huffed in mild annoyance as he put a datapad down. He hoped he would tire treating Dragstrip nicely quickly as he swallowed any further sarcasm he wanted to lay on the eating bot.

“It’s traded for ceremonial purposes. Though in emergency cases, such as yours, donated. It is our essence, if it is tainted or runs dry, we die. Simple enough?”

“W-what kind of ceremony?” 

“The two most popular ones,” Slashmark emphasized by bringing both hands out. “Amica Endura and Conjux Endura.”

“Please don’t tell me I’ve been bound as Wildbreak’s ultimate person.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That would be without your consent and invalid. Plus I think Wildbreak’s been eyeing that dinobot in that Autobot group?”

“What?!”

“I’m joking.”

“That’s an awful sense of humor you have. Is it jealousy speaking? If I were to wed him we’d beat you and Heatseeker.”

Slashmark’s face contorted to disgust followed by a dark shade of embarrassment. “As if you’d ever make the poor bot happy. You’re nasty attitude and bursts of anger could use some management.”

“Hey!” yelled Dragstrip. Feeling a strong ache in his back he lied back down, continuing to eat. “Don’t talk like you’re the cream of the crop.”

“Better than you’d ever be. You should grovel at Wildbreak’s pedes for saving your aft. And leg. And spark.”

Dragstrip grunted. He knew Slashmark was right. This was something he could never make up to Wildbreak. All odds were against him. Wildbreak didn’t have to call in so many favors and put so much at risk for him. Frustration boiled, he absolutely didn’t want to be in debt of anyone. It was bad enough he felt he owed Motormaster for decades of being in his group under his watch even if it was miserable at times. 

A familiar engine rumbled in Dragstrip’s audial. From the ground he watched Wildbreak slide down the steep wall of the dam, a bag strapped over his chassis. He looked pretty battered and worn out. He’d never seen Wildbreak without a nice coat of wax or eyeliner. The disheveled look almost gave him an air of maturity and strength. Even his voice sounded a bit deeper in pitch. He wondered if donating innermost energon had side effects. 

“He’s alive and well,” Slashmark reported as he gave a small wave to the bot from his seat. “In fact he’s been insulting me for the last few minutes or so.”

“I’m relieved,” smiled Wildbreak as he walked up to the resting stunticon. A panic entered Dragstrip; he didn’t want to see him. To be precise, he didn’t want to see Wildbreak’s stupid smile.

Kneeling besides him Wildbreak looked over the little machines. He’d never looked so confident and sure before. The yellow bot watched him past the large block of energon blocking most of the view, afraid of catching a glimpse of the orange face.

“You gonna be here a while? I suggest you rest for a bit.”

“Maybe. I need to check up on these quick and change some of his bandages.”

“Okay.”

A few minutes passed. Slashmark couldn’t hold in his undying need to spoil things for Dragstrip.

“You know… Dragstrip was about ready to cry when he thought you’d traded your life for his.”

“Slashmark!” yelled Dragstrip.

“Dragstrip?” cried Wildbreak.

“Wildbreak,” laughed Slashmark. The white bot couldn’t contain his amusement as Wildbreak fussed over the yellow bot. 

“You’re awake!” he pointed out with a smile as he grabbed onto weak yellow wrists. “You’re okay.”

“Well, if you call all these ugly dents and scars al-” A pair of shaky arms hugged Dragstrip. For once, Dragstrip didn’t fight it. He let those familiar claws poke and grab at his shoulders, trying to hold all of him. It felt good. A sob escaped him as he became overwhelmed with emotion. It hit him that he would be on a different plane of existence and possibly forgotten. Possibly, if it weren’t for the thought that Wildbreak would only miss him. He felt thankful. 

Slashmark’s smile turned to a flat line as he watched Dragstrip hug their blue stunticon back. He decided to turn his back to them, it felt like a private moment was about to ensue.

“Dragstrip, is something wrong?” asked Wildbreak as he was abruptly shoved off. Dragstrip finally had his chance to ask his questions. Starting with the most important one. 

“Why? Why did you do it?”

“W-why?”

Wildbreak lied besides Dragstrip, staring into his confused optics. 

“You did so much for me...why?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” The blue bot’s voice began to crack. A small sob escaped. That’s when Wildbreak looked away, his claws tapping on one another over his stomach. “Do you remember why Motormaster was chasing us?”

\---

Another mission, another failure. The four stunticons stood at the mercy of Motormaster’s unrelenting gaze. Wildbreak felt like holes were burning right through him. Nobody was saying anything so he decided to take initiative.

“I know how this looks boss. Sure we made a few mistakes but there will be opportunities. You know what I think would help? If you were there things would be different.” 

Something in the bigger bots optics gleamed a nasty red. His sights set on Wildbreak who dared reprimand him. In a strained voice he took a step forward, looming all four of them easily. “Are you suggesting it’s all my fault?”

“W-well-”

His arm twitched, Motormaster was going for the attack. He always took out their anger on them and Wildbreak didn’t understand why. Negative reinforcement sure wasn’t going to make the situation better. He smiled nervously, trying to ease the tension. That’s when Dragstrip cut him off, giving the bot a hard shove. “Don’t listen to him boss. I’m sure we just need a lot of work to do before heading back out there. It’s always our fault!”

Wildbreak watched in horror as Motormaster grabbed Dragstrip’s head. He seemed to always be the large bot’s favorite victim, always taking the brunt of his frustrations. 

“You don’t think I don’t want the best for you?”

“N-no boss, of course you want us to succeed!” 

Motormaster sneered, enjoying the stunticons squirm underneath his display of strength. Wildbreak lightly touched Dragstrip’s hand. This seemed to worsen his mood more than it had been from the start. He chucked the yellow bot to the side, frowning at the disappointment his stunticon crew had become. He attributed the let down it was that Dragstrip hadn’t nipped the bud that was Wildbreak’s affection for him. It got on his nerves to see the softness among his team and even worse that it benefited no one but Dragstrip. 

The blue bot flinched in his spot to see his teammate tossed over like useless garbage. He would wait till Motormaster left to come to his aid if need be. This always happened. Wildbreak would attempt to ease tensions by trying to talk to their boss, then Dragstrip would cut in and say something else. He wished the yellow bot wouldn’t do that. Maybe these talks would go better.

Dragstrip grumbled as he picked himself up from the ground. Motormaster turned his back to them. “You want training? Alright, I’ll give you all an unforgettable lesson.”

Shifting into vehicle mode he ran circles around them all. Orange dust kicked up, the three remaining members coughing and watching in mixed horror as the raging semi-wheeler headed straight for them. Engines roaring they all transformed into vehicle mode, except Wildbreak was a second shy, getting smashed from behind. His frame tossed and turned. 

Quickly he sat up on his arms, looking around only to see whirlwinds of gust in the air. He yelped when he felt the vibrations of their angered leader. 

Dragstrip’s vehicle came into sight as he smashed right up against Motormaster. His side mirror scratched his side as he managed to get Wildbreak out of his path.

The other two were out of sight as Motormaster chased them down. He yelled at the two.

“Always playing the stuck up, Dragstrip! What use is it when all it gets you is tossed around by the likes of me?!”

The yellow bot didn’t answer, but to his horror Wildbreak did.

“Why are you always picking on him? What’s he done to you?!” cried the blue bot as he trailed closely behind Dragstrip. 

Motormaster roared. “If you weren’t such an idiot you would see he’s taking the brunt of your disobedience!” 

Wildbreak understood this was going to be one of those days where Motormaster’s anger just had to burn itself out. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know when to stop commenting.

“But Motormaster, Boss! I’ve done nothing but listen to Dragstrip!”

“Let me fix that.”

A blast of blue shot to Wildbreak’s side. Panic arose in him. Usually these kinds of episodes were predictable. He’d never tried blasting at them before. Worst of all he was speaking in riddles, something Wildbreak couldn’t exactly decipher under all this pressure. A lot of questions ran through his mind as they dodged the attacks. Eventually one hit Dragstrip’s tires. 

The bot shifted into root mode where he tried his best to balance himself. Wildbreak made a big U-turn and revved his engine in a particular fashion, signaling for Dragstrip to get on him. But the yellow bot was stopped as Motormaster transformed, continuing to shower them with shot after shot.

He was shoved away as Dragstrip told him to run. Ignoring the order, Wildbreak realized just how much Dragstrip struggled to walk. Even as the bot tried pushing him away, Wildbreak hanged on to him trying to get him to run too. It just seemed to set their boss off more.

One strike, and Wildbreak was on the ground. Motormaster managed to punch him clean off his feet. He cried in pain, feeling his faceplate practically split in two. It almost felt like his last moments as the large bot towered over him. Wildbreak couldn’t move except let out a choked sob, the pain in his face too great to bear. His vision was blurry and a sharp noise rang in his processor. 

“Quit that!” yelled Dragstrip as he tried pulling Wildbreak to his legs. “Transform, slag it!”

“B-but what about you?!” yelled Wildbreak. 

Motormaster blasted the yellow bot at point blank. 

His face was covered by Dragstrip’s energon. The shock of it all as his friend, a bot Wildbreak had grown attached to for years as the last addition to the team, screamed in agony as his spark chamber was bleeding out clicked something in Wildbreak. Suddenly he went into autopilot as he turned into vehicle mode and brought Motormaster to his knees. He yelled obscene things he’d heard Dragstrip yell many times.

Trying to remember the event, he couldn’t recall when he’d called his dad to assist. He forgot the expression Bumblebee gave him when there really was a Decepticon attacking his own team in pure malice, trying to offline them. And it completely escaped his processor the moment he’d decide to save Dragstrip at any cost. In the end nothing had really changed except for a few ounces short on innermost energon and Motormaster wanting him offlined.

Wildbreak would still be on Dragstrip’s side.

\---

Dragstrip fell asleep after Wildbreak tucked some heated pads underneath his frame. Slashmark had warned him that Motormaster was on the move again. Only a few more days before the Autobot team formulated a plan to capture their boss. 

The grey bot sighed as he watched Wildbreak try to squeeze in a few more minutes of lying next to Dragstrip.

“I’m still surprised you’re a medic. And a slagging good one at that.”

“I was taught well,” replied Wildbreak. He wouldn’t pull his optics away from the yellow bot. Slashmark gave them a sad look.

“Perhaps you could bring him along with you when you return to Cybertron.”

“He’s never been there...he doesn’t like the unknown.”

“He’ll know you. Don’t be afraid to ask him after everything you’ve done for him.”

“Heh.” Wildbreak’s claws shyly touched Dragstrip’s hand. His voice broke a bit as he continued talking. “I just don’t want him to feel like he owes me anything. Y’know?”

It was laced with a worry decades old. The fear that he’d look like nothing more but an incompetent fool was strong and still very much alive. What helped make it better was the fact that Dragstrip included him in everything, even if Wildbreak did mess up. He just wanted Dragstrip to value him too. 

And to an extend he did. Little by little his aggressive personality chipped. Changes were happening in the yellow bot’s personality and nobody knew better than Motormaster.

\---

When Wildbreak returned to rescue Dragstrip came to no surprise. It was when the bot put himself in harm’s way that made his energon lines boil. Motormaster couldn’t wrap his mind around how, despite how despicable or brutish Dragstrip could be he had a loyal sheep following his every whim. 

There had been many occasions Wildbreak would follow the yellow bot’s orders over his own. Sometimes he thought if this was a foolish wish where Wildbreak hoped Dragstrip would change and suddenly every awful ounce of his being leaked out of him.

No matter how much Motormaster tried to twist and warp the things they said and did, he couldn’t get either party to completely hate one another. The bot half wished he had someone like that to hang on his every word, move and thought without rhyme or reason. Motormaster saw those fleeting, small looks and slight touches. Sighing inwardly to himself he knew it was a matter of time before his last remaining members turned on him. He only wished a bot like Bumblebee was his undoing and not a pipsqueak like Wildbreak.

Motormaster thought back on happier times in his youth. He was a getaway vehicle, getting into trouble and pulling tricks on everybody with his tactful driving back on Cybertron. 

He’d retell his crew stories about his old racing days before he upgraded his frame, the thrills, and having others cheer you on. He thought of his old crew and how much Wildbreak ended being as much of a handful as Breakdown was. It had been a fulfilling and short lived life he wished to relive. Motormaster wondered if the others would get to live those days someday without him.


End file.
